An Enquiry into the Historical Relevance of the Stool House (Nkonwa Fie) at the Bogyawe Palace in Akwamufie, Ghana

Abstract

Generally, the stool house (Nkonwa fie) is the name given to a sacred room where deities and stools belonging to chiefs that have passed on are blackened and stored. It is a sacred place and notable from other houses or rooms where consultations and rites are performed to ask for a good thing and not bad things. In the Akan society, the stool house plays a significant part so far as the traditional leadership and political institutions are concerned. The stool house has several cultural and symbolic undertones that require a study and an understanding by modern society. Hence the study was conducted at the stool house used by the Akwamumanhene revealed philosophical, cultural, and an outstanding value attached to the stool house. This was attained by using qualitative research design and research instruments such as purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Interview and observation were the two main data collection tools used. 

However, the long hours of inquiry with key respondents in the naturalistic fieldwork which was peculiar of phenomenological study such as this aided the researcher in gaining in-depth information and understanding of what the stool house represents and its significance in the tradition and customs of the people of Akwamuman.